Hello, friends. Welcome to the second hour of Open Line with Doctor Michael Moody, Radio's Bible Study Across America. My name is Michael Radonich. I'm the academic dean and professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. Remember, we normally take your calls, but today it's a special pre-recorded program, so please don't call. We're clearing the spindle. Today we're emptying the inbox answering the questions you've sent in,
because it's a special Labor Day weekend edition of Open Line. Now, if you'd like to send a question to Open Line, you can go to our website, Open Line radio.org. Click on the link that says Ask Michael a question. You can send your question right from there, and then Trish will add it to the mailbag for a future program. But Tricia McMillan is here with me today. We're sitting around the radio kitchen table and we're glad you're here with us. Now it's time to get yourself a second
cup of coffee. Get yourself your Bible out. Keep it out. If you had it already. Tricia will get us going with more of the questions you've sent to Open Line. Hey, Tricia, the mailbag is getting smaller. Isn't it a little bit.
Yeah, but.
I have to speed up my answers, right?
We we took we took quite a bit of time on some of those, but that's good. It's it's good. And you're teaching us through them on how to do the Bible study things and how to read the scripture better.
Yeah. Read it in context. Yeah. Understand the historical setting. You know, when you think about it, we had a question about baptism. And boy, how often have people heard about, uh, Jewish ritual immersion as background to baptism doesn't happen very much. No it.
Doesn't. Yeah. And it just helps to shed much more light on now, what we read in the New Testament or in the Old Testament to understand what those look like. All right. Anyway.
Let's go back to questions.
Okay. Don wrote us from Illinois. She listens to WLM. Psalm 66, verse 18 says, if I had been aware of malice in my own heart, the Lord would not have listened. Is this for both believers and non-believers, or is it for one or the other?
Well, I think it's this is a pretty simple answer. I think this is true of us when we pray. I think that first of all, God does hear the prayers of non-believers. I know this for a fact because of acts. When Peter relates the story of Cornelius. It says to the angel that he says that the angel told Cornelius, uh, that the Lord has heard your prayers. And now send for Peter, and he will come and give you a message by which you will be saved. So Cornelius was not a saved man. God heard his
prayers and sent Peter. So God, you know God's big enough that he can hear the prayers of those who don't even know him yet. And that's that's great. You know, if you seek me, you'll find me. If you search for me with all your heart. That's talking about people who don't know the Lord. And and yet if they're seeking God with a sincere heart, God will respond. And I, by the way, think that it's the Lord that puts
that seeking into their hearts to start with. So, uh, anyway, so but as in terms of a believer, I think it's saying if if we are aware of sin in our life and don't care about it, don't confess it. Uh, we don't have any assurance that God will hear our prayers. Uh, in first John, this is a that was an Old Testament verse that says it, but, uh, Psalm 6618 but in first John chapter three, I'm turning to it. You hear the pages turning. Uh, verse 21. Here's a very
important verse. It says, dear friends. Uh. I think I have the verse wrong, but I'm going to find it. Uh, it says if our conscience doesn't condemn us, we have confidence before God and can receive whatever we ask from him, because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. Now this is his command that we
believe in the name of his son. Uh, and so I think that's that's a crucial aspect that when we have if we're hiding sin in our heart, our conscience will condemn us, and we won't have any assurance of of God hearing our prayers. Uh, and.
Also, first John 321.
Yeah. Verse 321 through 23 through 23. Uh, and, you know, it also says, if that we hide sin in our heart, God won't hear our prayers. I think that's important that we remember that. Uh, but we have to have the confidence that God is hearing our prayers the way we do that as we confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive our sins. And then not only does he cleanse us, but it opens that door of fellowship and prayer, and then it gives us confidence before him when we pray.
I have several questions, but first, I guess is in the Psalm 66. Can is that is that something we can apply to us? Um, because it's Old Testament and it's someone else praying. It doesn't say who. It's just a song, a psalm. Yeah. Um, I don't know who the author is, but is that. Is this a prayer for everyone, or is this this? This writer is just kind of saying, this is what I found in my life.
No, I think it's a god, you know? Remember that the scriptures were written by the people of God for the faithful remnant of God. So even the Psalms were written that way.
So like a song is written today, or a hymn that they're writing it kind of for the general worship of the population to worship. Okay.
Well, yeah, but it was it was not for the general. A lot of people think that the Bible is the Book of Israel, like a book written for Israel. It was written for the faithful remnant of Israel. It was written for the 7000 that didn't bow the knee to Baal. Not. Not for everyone. It was for the remnant. Yeah. And. And what? What happens is that there's a, uh, uh, there's a a confidence that that's that's the way the
Psalms are. The, the heart cry of believers. And I think today, uh, as we look at the Psalms, uh, the same thing is true. I mean, how many of us read through the Psalms and it expresses our angst, our. Our stress. Our. Our love. Our devotion. They. They are. And in fact, you know who used the Psalms that way? The Lord Jesus himself. Mm. Right. Uh, that's why Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the Psalms the prayer book of the Messiah.
So I think that it's okay for us to say that, uh, if I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened if I just went to God and say, I know that I'm sinning. I'm. I'm holding on to this sin. But you better hear me anyway. Uh, I think, you know, we need to confess our sin and restore that fellowship with him. Uh, to have confidence when we pray.
And these are these are sins. So for both of these, for the First Corinthians, I'm sorry for first John three, and then also this verse in Psalm 66. It's the sins that we're aware of. And so as we're continuing to walk by faith every day, and the Holy Spirit makes us aware of sins in our lives like we could have been blind to them. But now you know. Now our eyes are open to. Oh, I've been holding on to pride in this area. Or I've been coveting
in this area that that's when, um. Yeah, that's when the prayers would stop getting to God.
That's that's when we won't have confidence that our prayers are coming to God. That's it. And you're right. Exactly that. I think if God revealed by his spirit every sin that we're involved in, we'd be overwhelmed. Yeah. Yeah. I would just.
I.
Would just collapse under the pressure. God is very gracious. He he he deals with issues gradually, not instantaneously. Uh, that's why there's a growth process that happens for us. It doesn't happen. You know, sometimes people are like, well, why in the world am I not perfectly holy now? Well. It's a growth process. It takes time. Okay.
So all right. Thank you for that deeper dive into that verse for us. And thanks for that question, Dawn. We had another question from a listener who says, I was told I have a rebellious nature, and even though I'm born again, that I will go to hell. How do I get rid of the rebellious nature in me?
Well. There's a few things there. If you're born again, then why would you go to hell? I mean, the Bible says that. That if we believe in Jesus, uh. And you'll be saved. Acts 1631. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Paul tells the the Philippian jailer, uh, actually, uh, if we receive him, even believe on his name first, John chapter one tells us we become children of God. We can't be unadopted out of God's family. Uh, and so here's the other question.
Who doesn't have a rebellious nature? Mm. Uh, that a rebellious nature. I read when I, I read these questions in advance. I rarely do that. But I did it today, and I thought of Romans three, where verses nine through 20, where it talks about what we're all like, we're all rebellious. That's just what we are. And and you say, wait, but what if we're born again? Are we rebellious then? Yes, of course we're rebellious. It's the flesh. So here's what I. Here's the answer. What do you do to deal with
the rebellious nature? Romans 813 put to death the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. You know, we have to starve the deeds of the flesh. That's part of spiritual disciplines. And so that's one thing to deal with. Romans 12 one and two deals with presenting ourselves as living sacrifices and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. We need to renew the way we think, and that will help us deal with that
rebellious spirit that we have. And then I have the, the, the I thought the the way we ultimately finally deal with, with our rebellious nature is we have to die, not just die to self. We have to actually die. Because what happens when we die? We go to be with the Lord. And first John three two says, when we see him, we shall be like him, and then we
won't have a rebellious nature. So right now we're growing and growing less and less rebellious, but we'll be rebellious to the very end, and then we'll die, and then we'll be like him, and he will transform us. I think that's why the great promise in John 637 through 40. Uh, I really emphasized that Jesus always does the will of the father. The will of the father is that he not lose one of us. Right? But then it says,
but raise him up on the last day. I might think he could lose me because of my sin, but no, he promises I'll go to be with him and he'll resurrect me physically and I will have a holy, righteous life then like him. Because when I see him, I will be like him. So anyway, that's the promise that we have. I think we should take a break here. Yeah. Uh, when we come back, we'll take more of your questions that you've sent in. So glad for this special all
mailbag edition of Open Line. Joining me with the questions that you've sent her is Tricia McMillan. I'll do my best to answer them. So stay with us. Maybe the question you sent or the question you were wondering is what we'll take up next. Stay with us. We're coming right back. This is Open Line with Michael Zelnick and
Tricia McMillan. With all the suffering and persecution Jewish people have faced throughout history, we need to be reminded that the Lord has always been faithful to his chosen people. And that's what the new 2024 2025 Messianic Jewish Art calendar from Chosen People Ministries is here to do. It tells the story of Jewish people in the Land of Israel, from the promise given to Abraham through exiles and returns and then statehood. Yes, even on October 7th, God's hand
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(888) 644-7122 or go to Open Line radio.org. And we're back. I'm so glad to be here with Tricia McMillan. We're talking about the questions you've mailed in to the mailbag. It's an all mailbag, all day, all Open Line mailbag edition. Did I say that right? All mailbag, all the time edition of Open Line. That's how to say it. But I am so glad that. I mean, they've been really piling up, Tricia. So we're doing our best to get through them. Yes we are. So yeah. And there's some really.
You said to me that there are some questions that we hardly ever get.
Yes, I love that. So keep sending those in.
Yeah that's great. Well let's go ahead.
All right. Norman Illinois listens to WNBA and says, can you please explain Luke 941 which says, Jesus replied, you unbelieving and rebellious generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here. She says, it seems so harsh and out of place.
Yeah, well, first of all, we never expect the Lord Jesus to say anything corrective or challenging because we actually don't see him as the Lord of creation. We mostly see him as our therapist in chief. And I'm not surprised sometimes when the Lord Jesus, as Lord expresses. I mean, he's the very same one that said some of the things that we read in the Old Testament of God speaking to Israel, and we say, whoa, that seems awfully harsh.
That's the Lord Jesus speaking to them as well. He is the God of creation, the Lord of creation, and that's why he says it. Now, if you look at the context here. I think this is really crucial. It's in Luke chapter nine. Uh, she cites verse 41, but the story starts earlier in verse 37. Uh, there's a man, uh, from the crowd who cried out, teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he's my only child. Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he shrieks. It throws
him into convulsions. It describes all the terrible things. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't. Now we think the Lord Jesus is speaking to the man. He says, you unbelieving and rebellious generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you? But those last two youths are plural. In Greek. We don't have the plural second person in English, but uh uh. And then bring your son here. Your son is singular.
The Lord Jesus wasn't speaking to the man when he said that he was speaking to the crowd who were being unbelieving and doubtful and saying, your disciples couldn't help this man. Your disciples were treating him. They're weak. They couldn't deal with this and that. So they were having sort of a cynical spirit, the crowd that was there. The Lord Jesus deals with the crowd's cynicism, and then he turns to the man and says, bring your son here.
And then when he does that, he rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy, and gave him back to his father. And they were all astonished at the greatness of God, who was astonished at the greatness of God. The people who were there, being cynical and thinking that this child could not be helped. So just remember who it is that that second person plural use twice in that verse. That is, how long will I be with you and put up with you? You're so cynical. You don't know
how powerful God is. I can deal with this. And then he does. And he's very gracious to the man who has the great need.
So. Well, how how do we when we have a question like this and we're looking at it, it just says you. How do we find out if I just have my Bible translation? Where would I go to? Um, I didn't look it up.
I didn't look it up in the Moody Bible Commentary. It may address it there. I don't know, but I think that you could look it up. I think everyone should have 1 or 2 Bible commentaries. Just general Bible commentaries. The two I recommend are the Moody Bible Commentary and what people would think it's its competitor, but I love it too. It's the Bible Knowledge commentary That's a two volume commentary. And probably if you look at those two, you'll find the answer.
Okay.
That's what I would say.
All right. Well thank you. Thank you for the insight into the plural as well, which helps us understand that passage more, because you could see if you look back at verse 37, like you did with that context that matters, right? Context. Context. Context. Yeah. Um, a large crowd met him. And so you know that he is with a crowd, but but we wouldn't necessarily know that he's talking to the crowd or to the man, because it's like the same passage of him talking.
The clue is that the whole crowd is marveling at the at the wonder of God. Yeah, the greatness of God. So, yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Well, thank you for that. Thanks for that question, Norma. Next up is and by the way.
Let's be careful not to turn the Lord Jesus into a very weak, uh, I mean, In. Dorothy Sayers said, you know, we've tamed the lion of Judah, pared his claws. He's the lion of Judah. Let's remember that he's not some pale curate, she said, but he's the creator of the universe. Let's remember that.
So and some of the things that he was doing in his actions don't seem very, um, countercultural to us today. You know, talking to women. Well, men talk to women all the time or welcoming children. Yeah, people like kids, you know, like they don't seem that countercultural today. But
at the time, they would have raised lots of eyebrows. Yeah. Um, and so I think in addition to statements like this, those are our clues that, oh, wait, he wasn't he wasn't acting like all of the other rabbis and leaders that were around at that time.
Exactly, exactly.
Okay. Well, thank you for that. Jamie in Illinois listens to WNBA and was looking at a different verse in Luke just a few chapters later in Luke 12, and she said she's heard people quote that if you deny me in front of others, I'll deny you in front of the father. But she said, that's not what Luke 12 nine says. That says that Jesus will deny you in front of God's angels. So I'm going to make her question kind of into two parts. Um, so she is asking about the angels part as part of her question.
We were made a little lower than the angels, but that makes it seem like angels don't have much authority. So the verse says, again, this is Luke 12 eight and nine. And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. do the angels have some sort of authority that they will be judges. Will we even see the father during that time?
Yeah, well, I think the parallel passage from Matthew ten. Matthew 1033 is really important because it says anyone, everyone who will acknowledge me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my father, uh, in heaven. And whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my father in heaven. So it's the parallel passage is addressing who the judge is. That's the father. Uh, I don't think the angels have any kind of judicial authority at
all over humanity. They're not the jury, but the angels of God are what I would call the gallery. You know, in a court, you've got the the judge, you've got the jury, uh, you've got the prosecutor, you've got the defendant, but you also have the gallery, The people who are just interested in what's going on there, and they sit there and they watch. Well, it talks about how angels long to look into our salvation. It talks about how angels, you know, women are to wear head coverings. And it
says because of the angels. And that's in first Corinthians, uh, chapter 11, I believe it is. Uh, but because of the angels. Well, why, uh, the reason is that the head covering in that time was a cultural expression of submission. And angels were very interested in issues, observing issues of submission, obedience and rebellion. Obviously, you could know why, because of the rebellion of the enemy of Satan and so forth. So there's all this interest that angels have to see
in terms of God's relationship with humanity. And so there the gallery and they are there watching. And that's why he says, whoever denies me before men will be denied before in front of the angels of God who are very interested in this. But the judge who's going to make the decision is the father in heaven. That's what Matthew 1033 says.
Okay, so then my my follow up then is why I guess they're they seem like they're addressing different, um, different groups. Like one is I'll acknowledge him before my father. One is I'll acknowledge him before the angels of God, which doesn't seem as, uh, important or is as bad, I guess.
Well, I suspect the Lord Jesus said both.
Okay at.
The same time. Matthew picked what he thought was the most memorable part. Luke, writing in the Greco-Roman world, might have thought that people's are are alert that there are going to be angels watching this. And they had a very high view of angels. And so that's that could be why he said that. I'm not exactly sure. But you know, I don't think that he contradicts I think that what we have is when we have, uh, Matthew and Luke, they complement each other and they fulfill they
they complete one another. And I think if we want to know, if we want to go back to the event, what did the Lord Jesus really say? He said, well, whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my father in heaven with all the angels watching. Okay, that's that's what I would say.
Okay. Which makes sense if you're picturing a courtroom like you were explaining with a gallery. And so it's before everyone who would be in there, which would include the angels who were watching. Yeah. Okay.
Who are I think it's so interesting to me that in Scripture, it keeps saying over and over that, uh, angels are very concerned about seeing how God deals with us. Why? Why are they concerned about our salvation? Why do they long to look at it? Because God did not redeem angels when they fell. He redeemed humanity. It shows his great love. God's. They're interested in our obedience and submission. They'd like to see that. So those are the reasons. Well,
we'll come back with more questions you've sent in. This is Michael Ray Dolnick and Tricia McMillan. You're listening to Open Line. Stay with us. We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn how far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all have heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives changed by Messiah all across
the globe. Again, you can hear the podcast when you visit febc. Org That's Febc. Org. Welcome back. So glad to be with you. Tricia McMillan is here with me. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick, and we've been going through the questions you've sent in. And I think it's just amazing that when everyone reads the Bible, how many questions come up that I have never thought of? And I'm always amazed when I see questions that are in here. And
I think I think that's pretty cool. You know, uh, that's why I think we need to study the Bible and, and I think it's one of the reasons we need to study it in a group. Now we have a pretty big group. It's all across America. That's what we're doing here. But, you know, home groups. You ever sit in a home group Bible study and and someone raises something. You say, I never saw that, right. Or I never wondered that. I think it's one of the great things.
So I'm grateful for our Bible study across America because we've got a big group saying things, don't you think?
I do, yeah, yeah, it's a lot of fun because. Because many, many times questions come into open line and I say, oh yeah, I wonder that too now, because I also had never seen that verse I had. But you know, it's it's not seems like it. You've never seen it. Right, right. Yeah.
Yeah. Well let's go ahead. What do.
We got. Next question is from Doris in Illinois, listens to WNBA and is looking at first Corinthians six, verses two and three specifically. But first Corinthians six one through eight is about, uh, well, mine has the heading The Problem of Litigation in Heathen courts, but it's the ones about, um, just court cases.
The context is why we shouldn't judge go to outside courts.
Yeah, yeah. And so specifically the two verses she's wondering about, say, or don't you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? Don't you know that we will judge angels, not to mention ordinary matters? So.
Well, well, this is why believers don't take believers to court. Yes. Other believers, yes.
But so that he has gotten out of this, this passage before. But but there's a lot of like, are we judging angels? Yeah. Well.
It says not only that will judge the world. I was thinking about that. I said, well, in in Matthew chapter 19 and verse 28, it says, I assure you, in the Messianic age, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me, he's talking to the 12 will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. So right there it talks about the 12 disciples being the judges of the 12 tribes, the the nations of Israel in the messianic kingdom. That
makes sense. So that we do have, you know, the apostles had authority to judge. And then it says, don't you know we will judge angels? Well, probably that's referring to fallen angels in Second Peter chapter two. And verse. Let's see. Uh, verse four is one place where we could find it. For if God didn't spare the angels who sinned, but threw them down into Tartarus, there awaiting judgment, and delivered them to keep in chains of darkness until judgment.
And then verse nine, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. I think this is it. Yeah. Uh. And to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the Day of Judgment. So I think we will probably judge angels on the Day of Judgment. Uh, I'm not sure why. Maybe God doesn't waste his time with judging angels and delegates it to believers. Uh, but that does appear to be something that we will be involved with. Uh, and, uh, also in the book of Jude, verse six, a very
similar book to Second Peter. He has kept, uh, these fallen angels, uh, with eternal chains in darkness for the day of judgment, of the great day. The angels who did not keep their own position in heaven but deserted their proper dwelling. They fell. Uh, they followed Satan. They're going to be judged on the day of judgment. And, uh, it looks like. Tricia, you're going to be part of that judging authority.
Because Saints here refers to all believers. Yeah. Okay. Which I also don't. That's not typically how I think of the verse. Yeah.
Saints we're not. Usually when we think of saints, we think of especially holy people. Yes. We're all made holy by faith in Jesus. And we're the saints. So. Huh?
Yeah. All right, well, Doris, thank you for showing me that verse that I yeah.
I don't I don't worry about it. I figure if God's going to have me involved in judgment, he'll know what to do to to give me, uh, the guidance for how to do it. Yeah. So. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Well, thank you for that question. Next question is from Paul and Patricia. They live in Minnesota. Um, they are reading through the Bible for the umpteenth time there in Exodus and have a question about the directions that God gives to Moses. Uh, why is the phrase fine twined linen used over and over? What is it and what is the significance of it being fine twined? And then also a couple other words that that, um, Patricia was the one writing it, but, um, that showed up
our tenors and filets in building of the tabernacle. Okay. So the fine twined linen, um, I found a few passages. Exodus 39 talked about the sash that was on Aaron and his sons, and it was the sash of finely. Well, my version I was looking at was finely spun linen of embroidered blue, purple and scarlet yarn, or fine twined linen.
And there's a veil in Exodus 2631, make a veil of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen, with the design of cherubim worked into it. Must have been beautiful. I think the fine linen issue is just fine linen. It's sort of like when you hear Your advertisements on the radio. I do not moody radio, but other radio things or podcasts. Sometimes I'll listen and they saying get this and this kind of sheet. You know these sheets for your your beds. Oh yes yes, yes.
Where they talk about thread count. Exactly. Yes. So this is just very finely spun, very beautiful, expensive linen. That's what that's talking about. It's the best quality linen that they could have for the Tabernacle. And it would have.
Been different from the other linens that were being used for other things, like they would have. It would have been special. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Okay. And but Finely Twined is really, really wonderfully, finely twined. Very, very high grade linen. Okay. Uh, and then the tenors are the bands on the pillars. Uh, I'm sorry, the. Not that the Phillies are the bands on the pillars. You know, there's pillars in the tabernacle.
And these were big pillars. Like like.
Columns. Hold it up. Columns to hold it up. Like the poles. Oh, okay. More poles because it's tabernacle. Okay. And and, uh, posts, so to speak. And they put, uh, uh, bands on them that were with, uh, with gold and bronze in different places. And that's what the filets were. So there would have been.
These silver bands that go on these pillars.
Sometimes gold, sometimes silver. It depends on the passage that you're looking at, depending on the pillar that's there. And then, uh, tenors, I looked that up. The one with the word tenor. Yes. With these words. For according to the tenor of these words, I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. Yes. I look that up in Hebrew. Uh, that's Exodus 3427. It's the Hebrew words Alpi, which means upon the mouth. What does that mean? It it means.
Great question.
It means write these words for based on the sense of these words. I've made a covenant with you. That's what it means based on the sense of these words. Based on the mouth of these words, I'll p based on the the the mouth. What I have said based on the sense of these words, that's what it really means. It's a it's an idiom. Now, the reason based on what I've said and tenor is still used that way. So it's there's a version that translates it like that,
I think the ESV. But for the most part I would say this, uh, Paul and Patricia, it seems to me you're reading the King James Version. Keep reading it. It's a good version. It's a good translation. But get yourself a couple of modern translations. Get yourself the hcsb. Get yourself a new American standard. The reason I say that is when you come to these words that you think, I don't understand what this is. Go look it up
in a modern translation. It'll probably tell you. So, uh, I'm not saying don't read the King James Version, but part of it is the word fillet is somewhat for bands on pillars. That's somewhat archaic. And so let's, let's use words that we understand, uh, and that's what you'll get. So even if you're reading the King James that's fine. But go over and and have a look at the, at a modern translation as well.
Can I push back a little bit? Sure. Okay. For the, the filets. So it says the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. I found that in the ESV, which I would say is a more modern translation. It is.
It is, I think it's, it's an architectural or a design term. Fillet. Okay. So it's not necessarily archaic. It just is a, not a commonly spoken more of a technical word. Okay. And so I would rather follow the hcsb, which I said, get yourself a few or the NASB, which just says bands. Okay.
All right. And and one of the things that's helpful is online, even if you don't own all of these, you can just type in that verse and it will sometimes get give you like here's what the other translations are saying, which can help to kind of give you a little more context for maybe what that word means. Or like we talked about earlier, maybe the Moody Bible commentary or or another commentary may help give a little
more context to especially the building of the tabernacle. A lot of times they'll have more in depth charts or pictures or or definitions or a Bible dictionary.
Bible would be helpful too. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we're going to take a break here, and, uh, I'm going to get my Bible dictionary and look up fil-a. I keep thinking filet mignon, but I don't think that's it. It's a different spelling. We're coming back with more of your questions in just a moment. This is open line with Michael Angelica, and today with Tricia McMillan. We're going to answer more of the questions you've sent in. So stay with us. The book of acts is much more than history.
It's also about defending the faith. It includes the biographies of the apostles and has profound teachings about God, especially the Holy Spirit. And with Doctor Charles Ryrie's everyday Bible commentary on acts will gain a richer appreciation for how the same Holy Spirit can radically change our lives today. Request your copy with your gift of any amount. Call (888) 644-7122 or visit openline. radio.org. Welcome back. This is Michael Melnick.
I'm here with Tricia McMillan and Tricia. Yes. This is the lightning round. All right. Okay, let's see if I can answer quickly.
Okay, let's do it. Mel in Tennessee listens to WNBA and is looking at Joshua for and wants to know if you can provide clarification on if this is one set of 12 memorial stones or two sets of memorial stones that the Israelites are taking out of the Jordan.
Okay, so God told Israelites the Israelites to take one set of 12 and bring them to dry land to where they were going to camp and set them up as memorial stones. They did that. In addition, Joshua wanted an additional memorial for where they took the stones, and so what he did, he also set up 12 stones for a memorial. He did even more of a memorial, not disobedient, but wanting to remember even more. He set up 12 stones right in the middle of the river.
And when Joshua was written, it says they still are there to this day. They're not there to this day that we're reading it, but to this day when they were written. So there were two sets of memorial stones, one in the river and one at the in dry land.
Where they camped, and the ones on dry land they actually then took with them in verse 20 again Joshua four verse 20 took.
Them to Gilgal.
Where they took them. It says, those 12 stones which they had taken from the Jordan Joshua set up at Gilgal. So they had those with them so they could see that memorial. Plus there was the one that was still in the Jordan.
Go back to where they got them from and remember.
Yeah. Okay. Great. Thank you. Lori in Ohio listens to Wtxf and is looking at Isaiah 43 and wants to know, would Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have had these words when they went into the furnace? So the words the verse specifically is Isaiah 43 two which says, I will be with you when you pass through the waters.
The main thing is thinking about you. You will be is you will walk through the fire.
Yeah. When you walk through the fire and the flame will not burn you. Yeah. She has a study Bible that has the timing of the writings close of Daniel and of Isaiah.
Yeah. Well, Isaiah was written about 700 BC. That's when the book of Isaiah, when you count the kings. So it was if you have all the kings and and such. Uh, most people would put the book of Isaiah like, I think Ahaz was around 740 BC, and Hezekiah was around 700 BC. So sometime after 700 BC is when the Book of Isaiah was finally compiled. Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went into captivity in 605 BC, and therefore it was sometime after their three years of training that
this happened. So yes, they would have had the book of Isaiah.
Okay. For those who maybe are date challenged like me when it comes to BC stuff, 700 BC is before 605 BC. So the numbers are.
Getting smaller as you get.
Closer. I always have to go. Wait a minute. So 100 years later almost is when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have been in the fire in the fiery furnace. Okay. So they could have known about this passage? Yep. Okay. And then that would have been an.
Encouragement.
Right? Yeah. You will go through the fire. I will be with you. You will not be burned. Like okay. Though they had that's.
What they say. They say that they had the faith. They say to God, uh, our God is able to deliver us. Yeah, but even if he doesn't, we still will not bow down and worship the image. Yeah. So.
Huh? Can you imagine? Like, I don't know, that's kind of blows my mind a little bit that they might be quoting, um, Isaiah or at least thinking about it. Thinking about it. Yeah. While they're in the in the furnace. Okay.
Okay. So I had my one of my favorite professors I had for my doctoral work, John Sailhamer. He offered a course that I took called the Old Testament in the Old Testament, the old. And it was.
How? Okay.
Okay. And it was how the Old Testament reads it earlier passages and builds upon it.
Oh, cool.
Yeah, it was a great course.
Yeah.
So it would be something like this then would come out.
And also one of our, one of his former students, Seth Postell, who's the Moody grad and a dean of the Israel College of the Bible in the Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, a book I edited. Seth Postell did an article called The Old Testament in the Old Testament. So that's very cool. We better move.
On. Okay. Christine in Ohio listens to Wtxf. Um, is also in. Isaiah is what she's looking. Well, that's what I pulled for it. But she said, I know God is husband to the widow, but what is he to the widower. She is a friend who is a widower, but she's like, I can't tell my friend that God is his husband. So how do you how does God work in that type of a situation?
Well, first of all, remember this is a figurative passage in Isaiah 54. It's talking about Israel's. It's not talking about a real widow there. It's talking about Israel. Indeed, your husband is your maker. His name is Yahweh, the Lord of hosts. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He's talking to all of Israel. He's not talking to an actual widow. Uh, he's talking about Israel and suffering and loneliness and grief and, uh, and so it's just
a metaphor. You know, it's not something that's literal. And I would say I wouldn't use this, uh, uh, metaphor with a man who lost his wife. I wouldn't I probably wouldn't even use this for a woman who's lost her husband. I. I would stick to verses like, uh, Psalm 3418 that God is near to the brokenhearted, or Second Corinthians one four. That God the Father is the father of all comfort, or John 1426 that the Lord
Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit, the comforter. Uh, I would say that John 1515, where the Lord Jesus says, I now call you friends, so we're not alone, because the Lord Jesus says in Hebrews 13 five, I'll never leave you or forsake you. So those are some of the passages that probably I would use rather than trying to say, the Lord is your spouse. Okay.
All right. So thank you. You want to try and squeeze in one?
Yeah.
I can answer this quickly.
Okay. Marcia in Illinois, there's a song she has heard recently that talks about. There's a great cloud of witnesses. They cheer for me. Does Hebrews 12 or any other place support that? Believers who have died before us can see our lives.
Well, I.
Think Hebrews 12, the cloud of witnesses are the people of faith that are described in Hebrews 11. And they are not watching us. They are testifying to us of the value of faith. That's what it's about. Okay, so, uh, no, there people aren't watching us. We don't become omniscient when we die and go to be with the Lord. God's the one watching us and people testify. Well, that's the two hours of our special open line edition. Thank you, Tricia McMillan. Thank you, Chris Tigard. Thanks for all that
you've done and thanks for everyone that listened. We really appreciate you. Keep listening. We'll be back with our live program next week. Check out our web page, Open Line radio.org. It's got everything you're looking for. And remember, this open line with Doctor Michael Melnick is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. We'll see you next week.
See you then.